Tag Archives: kettlebell

Amazing day celebrating the Grand Opening of Smash Mountain View! The phenomenal growth of the Smash community is the result of countless people going above and beyond to support each other. We are proud to share our values, community and unique brand of fitness with the amazing people of Mountain View! Just as we have done all over the rest of the Bay Area.

I’d like to recognize the partners at Smash Mountain View. These owners put on a great event and together have built another amazing new location to serve our members.

Over the past few months the team has been working tirelessly to create a location to make the Smash Family proud. It is incredibly difficult for small businesses to be successful. Although the collective experience of our community provides incredible advantages, the work still has to be done. Every locations is different, and has its own unique set of challenges. Make no mistake, the people at Smash work very hard to find success. All the talent and experience in the world means nothing without hard work. But we know hard work isn’t enough. It is commonly repeated in our conversations that we know we would not exist without the amazing people that support us. Our family, friends, members, instructors and fellow owners are the reason why we continue to grow and thrive in the hardest place in the country to open a small business.

Rudi Ott is leading the Mountain View location. He has worked incredibly hard over the past few months. As head Coach of Smash Fighter and playing key leadership roles in two Smash locations, his experience as gym owner and dedication to the vision has helped Mountain View grow quickly into a successful business. He set up the Grand Opening party, played host, then jumped in his car and drove four hours to corner a Smash Fighter. This is just one of many examples of his dedication to the Smash Family.

Brian Kuhn moved back from Colorado to open new Smash. Brian was one of the first BJJ students at Smash Sunnyvale, he then became a popular kickboxing instructor. A lifelong martial artist, Brian has taught martial arts and fitness for over two decades. Now as a Smash Gyms owner, he was able to celebrate the Grand Opening of his own business along with being promoted to a Jiujitsu Black Belt on the same day. He has worked endless hours to make a beautiful gym. He without a doubt has put in the most effort, time, and money to make Smash Mountain View a success.

Chris Mendel was one of the first members at the first Smash location. Now he is an owner of his own Smash! Chris is in charge of customer service and is the first smiling face you will see when you walk into Smash Mountain View. He cares deeply about the people in our community and has long wanted to be more involved. We are very fortunate to have someone like Chris sitting in the captain’s chair every night.

Christopher Robertson’s classes are an example to all instructors of the kind of energy, programming and attention it takes to be the best at your craft. As an owner of Smash Hayward he is either teaching one of his many classes or driving around the East Bay and South Bay to give Smash members the best experience possible. Like all of our partners, he has sacrificed immensely for the opportunity to make a significant impact in the fitness and health of more people.

Leo Shen and Eli Sanchez who have helped build Smash’s disciplines and procedures always jump in head first when we need help at a new location. They have dedicated the past few years of their lives to build Smash and help new locations and owners replicate the success we have had at all our other locations.

To teach new classes, at a new gym, and build a following from scratch, is not easy! Special thanks to Michael Jen, Zack, Tristian, Mike Olivas, Nora, Jarod, Mario, Brett, Tony, Zeus, Eddie and everyone else that has helped us run classes.

There are countless others that create the support system that allows for the continued growth of Smash. We want to thank Ed Crane who has painted all of our locations and won’t accept any pay. All that he asks of us is to, “Pay it forward boys.” George Melendez, Joe Gonzalez, Steve Chen, Vincent & Margie Chuang, Jeff Pena, Adam Guervara, and many others showed up to help us build. All our partners and instructors that pick up the slack at existing locations to provide us and the organization with an opportunity for growth.

Debbie Sanchez

Michael Jen

Rose Jen

Filip Novachkov

Mario Rios

Jacob Palomino

Lou Noble

Nannette Noble

Tony Gabucan

Jake Tannenbaum

Evan Esquerra

Mark Mazon

Most of all, I’d like to thank the families and significant others of the team for putting up with us over the past few months. Debbie, Quyen, Desiree, Meloe, Alyssa and Dolores, thanks for all the love and support.

There are too many people to list. If you are part of the community or support system we are thankful. We will continue to dedicate our lives to building an exceptional organization. We are a community of people that will do anything we can to help each other be successful. We just happen to have really good martial arts and fitness classes.

Hisashi (Sash) Imura is a Board Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC). He was the Head Football Athletic Trainer at San Jose State University for 10 season, where he managed and oversaw the medical care for the football program. Prior to his position at SJSU, Sash served as an athletic trainer for the University of California, Berkely football and women’s gymnastics teams. Sash began his professional career as an intern with the Oakland Raiders in 2005-06.

Sash began is kettlebell training while with the Oakland Raiders, under the tutelage of Head Athletic Performance Coach, Jeff Fish. At SJSU, Sash continued his formal kettlebell training with Coach Chris Holder, and earned his RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certification) levels 1 & 2 from Pavel Tsatsouline in 2008.

Sash is currently an athletic trainer for a private medical group in San Jose whose doctors serve the SF 49ers, SF Giants, and SJSU Athletics and Judo teams.

Asher is a certified athletic trainer and kettlebell instructor. He graduated with his Master’s Degree in Athletic Training from San Jose State University after moving from Ohio in 2009. While working as the assistant athletic trainer for the university’s football team he was exposed to kettlebells for the first time. Impressed by the challenging workouts kettlebells provided him, he quickly decided he wanted to be part of the cause. As a SFG I Kettlebell Instructor, Asher strives to work his clients hard and efficiently while implementing healthy lifestyle habits. Asher stays in shape by enjoying the outdoors through trail running and hiking. He continues to weight train and practice jujitsu.

A special congratulations to our awesome Kettlebell instructor Asher for getting his Masters thesis published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning!

Below are short descriptions of our programs at Smash. Every class is taught by expert, professional instructors and trainers. Members receive top quality instruction while getting in the best shape of your life.

Jiu-Jitsu

The Smash Gyms Jiu-jitsu program includes a systematic blend of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Wrestling, and Judo into a complete grappling system that will safely progress beginners at an accelerated pace. Our system is designed as a path for the average person to progress safely and quickly into an expert grappler. The system has proven to be highly effective in both self-defense and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu sport competition. You will find our unique Jiu-jitsu classes are presented in a format highly conducive to learning while maintaining a strong focus on safety. All the evening classes are taught by Michael Jen who is 3rd degree BJJ Blackbelt and widely recognized as one of the most technical and most experienced BJJ instructors in the U.S.

Classes typically include a full hour of technique, drilling and instruction followed by a half hour of structured sparring under the supervision of the instructors. Open mat follows nightly.

Jacob Palomino -3X Wrestling State Champion and 2011 BJJ US Open Champion

Eli Sanchez – D1 College Wrestler, San Jose Open Medium Heavy and Absolute Champion, 2011 BJJ by the Sea Champion, US Open Championships 3rd place

Seo Perales – 2X US Open Champion, 3rd and 5th place in the World Championships, BJJ Blackbelt

Mario Rios – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt

Rudy Sanchez – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt

SmashFit

No boring machines or wandering around a gym trying to get motivated! Learn a real skill in every class while you workout! This will keep you mentally stimulated and motivated! Our SmashFit program is dedicated to making your workouts diverse, fun, unique and effective. Our World-Class Instructors and Trainers help people of all fitness levels and age groups reach their fitness goals. You will get top quality instruction while getting in the best shape of your life. SmashFit allows you to choose from a unique variety of classes and workouts throughout the week so you will never get bored. Your new training schedule will include Kettlebell training, Kickboxing, Bootcamp, Zumba, Krav Maga and more! You will learn from expert instructors in every class. Every class is a group personal training session!

SmashFit instantly gives you all the tools you need to be successful in reaching your fitness goals and improve functional strength. With SmashFit comes an instant support system of workout partners and instructors ready to help you improve. Every class is like a private lesson!

Self-Defense & Krav Maga

The Smash Gyms Self-Defense System is a unique program designed to quickly teach every student the skills and knowledge to effectively protect oneself. This beginner friendly system will quickly allow students become proficient the intricacies of all aspects of personal protection regardless of gender, experience, size, strength, or fitness level.

Single attacker or multiple? Weapons or empty hands? Standing or on the ground? Striking or grappling? True self-defense situations are unpredictable cannot be defined by a single scenario.

With this in mind, the Smash Gyms Self-Defense System incorporates and combines different martial arts that have consistently proven to be the most successful in realistic conditions.

By tapping into the deep knowledge of multiple experts who have spent their lives specializing in specific forms and ranges of combat, students can be assured they are learning the most effect techniques and training methods that can be adapted for any situation. In addition, students will learn to handle the stress and pressure of a sudden, violent encounter in a safe and progressive manner.

No previous training is necessary and anyone can learn this deadly system! Simple and highly effective system that focuses on simple and practical techniques designed to keep you safe in any self-defense situation. Classes are designed to improve you physical fitness, awareness and technique.

Krav Maga is the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli Anti-terrorist Units, and various branches of the Israeli Security Forces. Krav Maga was developed in Israel, under realistic battlefield and street conditions. This comprehensive system of martial arts has recently been adopted by and taught to many law enforcement and military organizations, including the US Air Marshals, F.B.I., C.I.A, D.E.A., U.S. Secret Service, and numerous Police Departments.

Kickboxing

Our kickboxing program will help you get fit, have fun, and learn kickboxing! Whether you are a beginner or an expert, our experienced instructors will make sure you get a great workout in addition to improving your technique. You will be challenged by structured yet fun kickboxing and strength and conditioning routines in a safe and encouraging environment. We welcome all fitness and skill levels.

All of our Kickboxing classes use pads and mitts giving you a more satisfying and fun workout. Hitting the pads improves your muscle tone and your cardio endurance, not to mention in 1 hour it burns up to 1200 calories – nothing else comes close.

Our kickboxing staff are very experienced and have acquired the best techniques from Muy Thai, San Shou, Shotokan Karate, and MMA. Our years of experience through training, competing and teaching in kickboxing and other combat sports can now be handed to you in a safe and supportive environment. Try it free!

Kids Martial Arts and Fitness

The Smash Gyms Kids Martial Arts Program can and WILL help your child increase their confidence, self-esteem, discipline, while teaching them life skills that will last them a lifetime! In our program your child will be able to progress at their very own pace. We understand that everyone learns differently. Whether your child can only train once a week or everyday we have the program that will fit your needs.

With a strong focus on coordination and overall fitness our kids curriculum includes a systematic blend of Jiu-jitsu, Wrestling, and Judo into a complete grappling system. Our kids class curriculum was designed by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts, Judo black belts, College Wrestlers, and self-defense experts. Our system is designed as a path for the average child to progress safely and quickly. The system has proven to be highly effective in both self-defense and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu sport competition. You will find our unique classes are presented in a format highly conducive to learning while maintaining a strong focus on safety.

Kettlebell Training

Kettlebells have been popular in Russia for a long time, but have become very popular in the U.S. recently due to the intense and productive workouts you can get while using kettlebells.

One of the unique benefits of kettlebells is the improvements to both cardiovascular and anabolic systems. Kettlebell users also have tremendous gains in overall functional strength. Simply put you can increase your overall fitness and tone up your muscles with kettlebells if used correctly.

Our program will teach you all the details on advanced and basic lifts and techniques. Our kettlebell classes have a strong focus on proper body mechanics and real Russian kettlebell techniques.

SMASH STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING:

Anyone can join this beginner friendly class! All classes are taught by by CrossFit certified instructors and personal training veterans. Every class is like a personal training session. The Smash Gyms Strength and Conditioning Program is for those individuals with goals to reach their personal maximum fitness potential. While maintaining a strong focus on safety, this beginner friendly program will teach you how to train like a professional athlete in a fun and supportive environment. The program was designed to teach members proper strength and conditioning techniques and principles while pushing them physically and mentally. Our certified, professional instructors will teach you proper body mechanics to help you safely reach a new physical fitness level. You will build amazing conditioning and increase your functional strength to a level you never thought possible. The Smash Strength and Conditioning Program is serious about fitness, safety and fun.

Beginner Friendly Fitness and Self-Defense for Milpitas, Santa Clara, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View! Have fun and get amazing results!